:)

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Presented below are two excerpts from my book 'The
Wedding Trousseau and Other Short Stories' that has been recently released. I hope you will like them!

1) Her face had acquired a
kind of ruddiness and hair too appeared somewhat darker in the drowning evening
sun and along with the slight
upward slant of her eyebrows, her irritation was evident. “Where to, madam?
What is all this? I have been taking this crap for months now. Many times, I
notice young boys hovering around our house,” the woman thundered in a tone
that clearly intimidated the timid girl who stood there visibly embarrassed.
“Show me what this one has given you.” She snatched the paper bag from her thin
hands and ripped it open in the manner of a suspecting wife, and started
pulling out all the things, one by one.

“Auntyji, I…”
Poonam began. Her heart was pounding. She was a pretty young girl of seventeen,
clad in a simple blue salwaar-kameez. Nervousness clearly floated in her
small kohl-lined eyes, as dark as her neatly plaited hair.

“I knew, you would have
a ready answer. Did you tell your father?” said the lady putting all the things
on a rusted three-legged stool lying in a corner.

“Because I am …” Poonam
said taking a step back, her heart still beating faster.

***

2) However, that young
woman came there pretty much regularly and sitting under the shade, would
mutter something with a bowed head. She would come sometimes in the lazy
afternoons that put the world in a slumber, when trees and birds did not bother
to rustle and chirp, or sometimes in the late evenings when retired flocks
would fly home and breeze hummed many tunes solemnly.

She used to cry a lot
initially, the old watchman would tell those who bothered to listen or ask out
of idle curiosity. Stroking the silken cloth whose borders would shimmer in the
bright sunlight peeping indiscreetly from the thick mango blossoms, the young
woman would lean over it and rested or rubbed her cheek over it a few times.
This had become her ritual that she followed religiously, much to the curiosity
of many a folk.

One
fine morning, when the dew was still fresh on the soft grass and the washed
leaves danced in delight with the placid air, she came and sat down in her
typical quietness.

Monday, April 27, 2015

I
have always believed that an imbalanced life is what makes one unhappy and
sullen. Finding and also maintaining a balance between work and play is the
key. This balance is required in everything we have and do like our homes and
social circle.

What
makes me happy is a small tea party with friends. I love to call my friends
over to my place or go over to theirs and enjoy simple tea with local snacks
like samosas, pakoras and bread rolls. The playful banter and chit-chat
gives us immense pleasure that can never be found in a fine formal dinner at
some high-profile 5-star. The personal bonding makes life worth looking forward
to. We often go for walks and crack jokes with each other. Two of my friends
have pets. The dogs are just so awesome and I love cuddling them and now they
too have become a part of our chai-party group! Animals have always
acquired a special place in my heart and I love playing with them. Little
squirrels and birds and cats as well amuse me no end and their careful and alert
expressions make me giggle and smile all the way.

The
biggest joys lie in smallest of emotions and things. After working from morning
to evening six days a week, I get a free Sunday that I lovingly call my
‘indulgence day’. I often stay at home and read my favorite books or write
something. Decorating home also makes me happy. I think for one’s happiness
these two things are must- good friends and good books!

A
moment spent in the lap of nature, and by nature I do not mean lush green hills
high in some fancy hill station but your own garden or any well maintained park,
moment spent in the company of a friend or self makes the day! We do not need a
reason to celebrate if one is happy and feels rooted and balanced from inside;
after all, happiness is like Musk- it is very well inside us and we do not have
to run here and there for it. It is more of a state of mind. A small tea party,
an hour spent cuddling my neighbor’s pet dog (I do not own one), spending time caring for my kitchen garden and gorging on
homemade snacks are enough to make me feel huge celebrations and festivals can
sometimes seem unnecessary compared to the moment that is still there and full
dripping with joy!!

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yourself.”

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

This month is a
bit special for me as my new book titled ‘The Wedding Trousseau and Other Short
Stories’ is just out! I have always enjoyed reading and writing short stories
so tried giving this genre a shot! There are 11 stories based upon various aspects
of life. Some are inspired from real life people and situations while others
from my fantasy. The book is my debut attempt in writing and I hope you will
enjoy it.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Apart from food and water, the
one thing that has crawled its way up into the list of our absolute necessities
is indeed a smart-phone. What is life sans a good and trendy smart-phone that
can sometimes outsmart even you! These have become the need of the hour and it
has become difficult to spot any youth without holding one. Old heavy phones
that looked like TV remotes are being replaced fast by sleek and updated smart-phones.
Basically a ‘smart-phone’ is a phone that combines features of other devices
like GPS and a computer hence becoming a one point source of all activity as
well as information. Although there are various such phones available in the
market, one that stands out is indeed Zenfone 2 (ZE551ML) by ASUS. It has many
features that make it the leader in its segment. However, the 5 reasons why I think
it can literally redefine the experience are –

1.Display- The display cannot go wrong
with an amazing 72% screen-to-body ratio and the 403 ppi pixel density that can
provide the owner with a beautiful and incredible watching experience and hence
now, every video will become immensely enjoyable even on phone!

2.Camera- Zero shutter lag providing
powerful camera is another feature that made me fall in love with Zenfone 2. The
camera employs various technologies like the pixel merging one so that photos
clicked look as natural as the real objects are, in day as well as night time.

3.Charging- One thing that often annoys all
the smart-phone users is the time taken for charging but this phone has solved the problem. With ASUS Boost-Master Technology,
you can make sure that the phone is charged up to 60% is just 39 minutes,
giving you an uninterrupted supply of entertainment as well as connectivity.

4.Dual
SIM- Often when
I travel, it becomes slightly difficult for me to carry two phones but this issue
is addressed by Zenfone 2 as it has a dual SIM system and seamless switching
between the two SIMs. Isn’t that great!

5.Processor- The most important thing in a
device is its processor that holds everything together and provides support.
Zenfone 2 is powered by up to 2.3GHz 64-bit Intel®
Atom™ Z3580 processoralong with
a superb RAM of 4 GB that gives you a 3 times faster facility for gaming. Its
64 Bit Super Quad
Core Intel Atom Processor and 60 ms touch responsiveness makes sure that
multitasking becomes a cakewalk!

Ergonomic
designs have become necessary these days and ASUS Zenfone 2 provides one of the
easiest designs one can imagine. The screen is huge too which is another attraction.
Hence, I think I am soon going to replace my old smart-phone with this one as
it is not every day you come across such a breathtaking technology!